Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind
by iiLorr
Summary: When Connecticut highschooler, Peyton Sharice, ends up in blistering hot Georgia with zombies, death, adrenaline, and the hot-headed Daryl Dixon, things can get pretty confusing.   Starts between episode 205 & 206 - swearing, possible sensual activity
1. Where where you?

Where were you when it all went to shit?

I was at a summer concert in Georgia. It was... horrible.

I'm Peyton Sharice, I'm 16, and I was a junior at Miss Porter's, but I guess I was one of the more unique ones. I died my hair auburn in the beginning of June, the month we got out. It flowed down to just past my butt. I swore, I went off-roading with my best guy friend, Zach. He was already in UCONN. I never told him I had a thing for him, but I think he always kind of knew. I let my brother and his friends work on my 2007 Chevy Silverado. I loved it and it ran smoothly. I got a tattoo without telling my parents, while my uncle acted as my father. It was an infinity sign on the back of my neck. I worked at Gamestop and was a sort of an apprentice to a chef at a restaurant a while ago. I'm about 5'1", I'm fit, and pretty strong. I sing, play a few instruments, play soccer, and I'm pretty smart. I'm also kind of a smart ass.

Anyway, after the last day of school, I was so ready to pack up and get the hell out of Connecticut. I was spending the next year in Savannah, Georgia, for a music program. When I packed up my car and drove down there, I ended up being housed in a crappy little flat near the river. Even though the appliances sucked, I loved the artistic feel and wall of glass looking down on the river.

In around August came my first gig. I put my hair in a ponytail that shortened my hair a bit, but still my hair flowed to my hip. I had a white summer dress that went to my knees and I wore converse high tops with red socks that went a bit higher than my shoes and complimented the red tint in my hair. I packed up my guitar and threw it in the back of my truck, but there were still a few unpacked boxes taking up space in the back. I didn't know, but it was a good thing I left them packed, because I'd have clothing and a few other things for the random apocalypse that would occur mid-concert.

I was opening for some band at an outdoor concert near Atlanta. I drove in behind the stage and could hear the hundreds of people screaming. I had this ominous feeling something would go wrong, however I never knew it would go as wrong as it would. I took out my guitar and one of the bottles of water I had, then went to get ready. They said that my partial manager/friend was sick and was just driven to the hospital. I thought nothing of it, grabbed my guitar, and went on the stage.

It was all so loud and beautiful, the ocean of fans jumping around right in front of me, anticipating my music. I was so proud. I sat down on the stool and spoke into the microphone. "Thanks for coming out, I'm so happy to open for the great guys in this band. I promise I won't let them down." I strummed my guitar once and smiled out at the crowd, as their screams got louder. I started singing and playing my guitar, but about a minute and a half through the mix of words and melody, the screams of anticipation and happiness turned into terror. I stopped playing and looked out at the crowd, but since I had gone sans-glasses for the concert, I didn't notice that the crowd was being eaten alive. Turning around, I saw my manager/friend come at me, missing his jaw. I screamed and fell backwards. He came down to bite me, but someone's guitar smashed him in the head. Quickly discovering it was my guitar, I stood and ran to my truck.

"Fuck!" I growled, getting into my car, locking the doors, and rolling up the windows.

I drove over a few of the "sick" people to leave the concert as quick as possible, but after I had driven at 80 mph for about two miles, I was stuck on a street, finding myself trying to get back to my crappy flat. I yelled something with a lot of swears, and opened the door to get out. On second thought, I closed it and slammed on the horn. The guy in front of me flipped me off. On third thought, I got the hell out of the truck and slammed a fist on the assholes window. "Hey!" I screamed. He rolled down the window.

"What the fuck do ya want, gal?" A man said to me, as if he hadn't flipped me off.

"We are all trying to get the hell out of here, so fuck off! There are fucking _zombies_out there and they'll bite your damn middle finger off if you throw it at them, you hick!"

He hung his head out the window and squinted at me. "Watch yer language, lil' bitch, and calm the hell down." He said to me.

I was about to punch him in the face, but there were screams at the back of the traffic jam, and I quickly saw why. Luckily, gun shots took a few dead men down and I saw a cop jump into a trooper, blue and red lights blinking like a beacon in the night. I ran to my truck and tried to find a way off the road. It was almost impossible, but the mean redneck in front of me moved his truck to follow the cops. I was just about to do the same thing, but a walker bashed onto my window. A whole crowd was around me pretty quickly, but I fought with my truck. I ran over a hell load of them and sped down the road, toward god knows where. Since then, I've been shut up in a little cabin on the side of the road, and I've just about run out of food.

I couldn't remember how long it'd been since the concert, but I knew my supplies from about a week ago were at an all time low, and my portion control couldn't even keep me going any longer. I had to drive into the nearby town where I had taken supply trips to before.

Holding for dear life onto my gun, I made my way out of the wooden cabin I'd locked myself in the past... well, however long I'd been there. I couldn't see anything, so I ran to my truck that was hidden in between a few trees. When I got in the truck, I laid my head on the steering wheel and locked the doors. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I turned on the engine and looked around.

It felt like I wasn't even in this reality. It took me a while to even get going, but when I did I could have sworn it wasn't me pressing the gas and steering the wheel.

With the sun high in the sky, illuminating the abandoned town, it wasn't as creepy as I thought it would be. But then, seeing a zombie turn toward me on the sidewalk reminded me this was no sightseeing trip. I needed food, water, and medical supplies. And I needed them fast. I made sure I was several blocks away from the zombie I had seen. I parked and checked my gun, the one I had found inside the cabin I was hiding in, taking note that I needed ammo.

My first stop was the little general store on my right. I stepped out and checked my surroundings, then entered the store and found two bottles of water, a pack of assorted nuts, vitamins supplements, and a Snickers. I didn't like caramel all to much, though. On the wall parallel to that one were a few tooth brushes and tooth paste tubes. I took those. Then I came upon a pack of condoms... In all honesty, it made me angry that the apocalypse had come before I had the chance to experience sex. I pushed it out of my mind and scanned the street again.

Across the street was a clothing store. I went there and found a water bottle and chocolate, like clothing stores sometimes had. Just then, I heard something slam the door open and I ducked. I could hear groans echoing through the air. It sent chills up my spine. All I had to do was make it to my truck and I'd be safe...

The walker had a set of blue flannel pajamas on. And it's hair seemed to be a gray-brown. Wasn't very tall, either. It was probably about thirteen when it – she – died. It send a shiver of pity across my body. I wondered for a moment if it's parents were dead, but then saw my chance. I slowly scooted to my right behind a clothing rack and made my way to the door. Opening the door would make her hear me. I didn't want to have to shoot, but if it came to that... I would. I slammed open the door and ran to the car, but tripped on something along the way. I stumbled and fell on the ground and I dropped the water and little food I had. I frantically looked up at what I had caught my foot on. A pale, waxy hand reached for my leg and I kicked it away. I'd tripped over the torso of a walker.

I almost vomited, seeing it's blood and guts drag along the ground. I bashed it's head in with my gun, but then the teen zombie came out of the store and was too close to shoot. I crawled backwards and went under my truck, then came out the other side to try and confuse her, just to find another one waiting for me there. It dropped onto me and went for my neck, but a shot rang out in the air. I pushed the re-dead zombie off me and heard more shots fired. Seeing their source, my breath was taken away.

Other people. A tall man with a long face and dark eyes offered me a hand, and I willingly took it.

"You can come back with us – get in your truck and follow." He said.

I widened my eyes and ran to get in my truck, following them without a second thought. I didn't even stop back at the cabin to get anything. There wasn't much there anyway.

Finally, about twenty minutes later, we turned and drove up a dirt road. The men parked the jeep and hopped out. I followed suit.

Everyone came back to greet them, and was taken aback by my presence. I could hear a small rumble of discussion and I immediately felt awkward, but stepped in.

"I'm Peyton." I said, to answer the question on their faces.

A blonde woman with her arms crossed stepped up and said, "How'd you get here?"

"Well, Andrea, it would seem she got here in that truck." An older man with a Hawaiian shirt said.

"Shut it, Dale." She glanced at him and stepped closer to me again, holding out her hand. "I'm Andrea." she introduced herself.

A woman and a child walked up to me. She was tall and had brown hair. The child had similar hair and eyes. "I'm Lori, Rick's wife." She motioned to the man who shot all the walkers. He nodded to me.

"I'm Shane." said the man who helped me up. I took a moment to admire his tan, glistening skin. His arms were crossed over his chest and I took note of the vein popping out of his right arm. Wow.

And then, at the back of the group, I saw the friend of the guy who was driving in front of me way back in the traffic jam. I narrowed my eyes, and he looked at me in frustration. Everyone turned in confusion. His head was low, but he was looking at me.

"Where's the other guy," I spat. He seemed to get angry by my saying this and he walked away in a huff.

Shane took charge and looked to everyone, the orange of the sunset shining on him "Alright, everyone, we've all had a rough day," I rolled my eyes. No shit, Sherlock. It's the end of the world. "So let's eat a good dinner..." He continued to talk, while I ignored him and looked around at the other people. Some were bloody, some dirty, some clean, some black, some white, but all seemed pretty calm. The closest one to my age was the Asian boy beside Andrea. When my eyes made my way to him, his eyes met mine as well. I attempted a smile. So did he. But it was just awkward, and we looked back to Shane, who was ending his little end-of-the-day speech.

Many people stayed with their own or made their way to introduce themselves. T-Dog, Carol (who I had found out just lost her daughter – I told her I'd help all I could), Rick, Lori (who told me the guy I had made angry was Daryl, and the other guy I asked about was Merle. He went missing in Atlanta. That made me feel kind of bad.), Carl, Shane, Glenn, Andrea, and some others introduced themselves.

"I'm Peyton. It's nice to meet you, thank you for welcoming me in the group" was said over and over again, with the occasional stories or jokes.

When they were done everyone went back to what they were doing. I felt lonely, and decided to sit away from them during dinner. They all went into the farm house and I sat outside, along with another few people. Including Daryl. He was fiddling around with some crossbow thing, and didn't notice me staring at him until the talking started from inside the house. We eyed each other the whole time. He seemed thoroughly interested, but had a mean look about him. I decided he was attractive.

I listened to the discussion around the dinner table that was coming out of the window next to me. I wasn't familiar with their voices yet, but I heard a woman say, "What do we do with her?" and it made me nervous. I hoped they weren't thinking about leaving me out there. "We can't just leave her out there. She nearly killed herself." The same voice said.

"What if she weakens our group?" A harsh voice said.

"Most of the women in this big-happy-family don't know how to shoot anyway. If she was alive for that long on her own, she must have some knowledge of weapons, Shane." said the very memorable female voice, Andrea. So it was Shane that accused me of being weak.

"The girl stays." A man said. He must be the leader. Rick, was it? I had to remember that I liked that man.

I heard a clattering of dishes and the moving of chairs, and I assumed dinner was over. I got up and walked away so they wouldn't know I was listening.

My eyes skimmed the camp after dinner and saw there were tents being set up, people cozying up in their trucks, and all of that. I, however, didn't casually have a tent or a big comfy car to sleep in.

There were low conversations around me, as I observed everyone and then noticed a giant RV. I walked to the vehicle and the man who I assumed was the one who owned the RV seemed far too comfortable with everything that had happened. He was the one with the bucket hat and the Hawaiian shirt. I could just imagine him smoking a big joint and giving his grand kids life lessons. I half-smiled. He was in the middle of a conversation, so I awkwardly stood next to him.

When Rick, his wife, and his son were done talking, the man turned to me and asked if he could help me.

"I'm Peyton... I just got here and I-"

"It's alright, you can sleep in the RV anytime. And I'm Dale. You got some blankets?"

"Oh, yes, I do." I said, remembering the unpacked boxes.

"Alright, you go grab those and get settled in. It was nice meeting you." He smiled. He reminded me of a grandfather figure, or an older, cool uncle. He gave me hope.

When I had gotten the blankets and settled down in the RV, I drifted to sleep. I can't say I felt safe, but it was good that I could at least get some sleep.

That night, I had a nightmare, which isn't so surprising, but it is kind of unfortunate.

I was singing at the concert. Glenn was in the front of the crowd, and so was the hick and his brother. Dale was there, Shane was there. They were all screaming for me to run, but I just smiled at them and kept singing and strumming the guitar. I leaned my head to the side and watched them, then closed my eyes and kept singing, drowning out the screams of terror I heard in the crowd. Glenn and Dale were calling my name at the same time. "Peyton! Peyton! Behind you!" I opened my eyes at the end of the song, to wave down at them, but when my eyes opened, I saw every person in the crowd was dead, running toward my fellow survivors. Dale was the first to go. Two zombies grabbed his arms and started eating right off of them like hot wings. He smiled at me as he died. Shane was the next. He waved to me and a walker came up behind him and bit his ear off, eating down his neck afterward. Then Glenn, still screaming and shouting to me, fell into the crowd and came out as a walker himself. Hot, salty tears were running down my face and I felt a walker come from behind me and bite my elbow.

I opened my eyes, to discover it was starting to get light out. My elbow hurt and I looked down at it, half expecting to be bitten. From the elbow down, my arm was completely numb and had a big red mark from hanging on the edge of the fold out bed. I sighed and shook the feeling back into my arm, then wiped the tears off my cheeks. I barely knew the people and already I was having night terrors about them.

I noticed Glenn was gone and frowned. He was sleeping in the RV with me because he didn't have a tent either. It was comforting to have someone there.

Standing and walking to the dinette table in front, thoughts were running through my head. How long could I stand being in a world like this? What if the dead bastards attacked my camp? Were my parents dead? What about my dog and my older brother? Why me? Why did this happen right when I left behind my family? If they were alive, were they mourning my death? Were they coming down here to find me? Did they hate me for leaving them? Was I completely alone? Would I even make friends with anyone in the camp, and would they like me? What if today was the last day I would be alive? What if this next second was the last second I was alive?

I stared down at the ugly yellow of the table. Suddenly, there was a tap on the window. I almost screamed, but saw it was Shane. I stepped out of the truck and felt a cold rush along my thighs, realizing I had the short dress on. Yeah, I was never a dress kind of girl. Especially when it was windy. Shane looked down at the hem of my dress, as it flew up with the wind and I tried to hold it down. He blinked uncomfortably and moved his eyes to mine.

"Thank you for taking me in." I said, eyes glued to the ground. I felt unwanted around him.

I could tell he was about to say something, but then Glenn quickly came up behind him. His hands were shaking a little and he looked nervous. "I need to talk to Dale."


	2. Walkers in the Barn

Glenn's POV

I couldn't stand keeping it to myself anymore. The walkers in the barn were dangerous to the whole group and I couldn't just keep them a secret. Just because I had... slept with the girl... doesn't mean I had to keep those things a secret.

Worrying about my family and friends had completely escaped me, now. No more doubting they were alive, no more thinking about my father and my mother coming up to me and hugging me, and then biting into my neck. No more thoughts about my dog being eaten, or my friends being bit. I didn't even think about the night I left, when I was delivering the pizzas and didn't even have time to run back and check on my family, because fire was starting up everywhere and my street was filled with the dead guys.

I've been having nightmares. About them. They would get out and start eating everyone one in the group, but they wouldn't eat me. They'd leave me to watch. Sitting in horror was all I could do, because as much as I shot them in the head, they wouldn't die. They would just get more angry... more hungry. I had to let it out somehow, and I knew Dale was the guy to tell. He seemed pretty cool and fairly understanding.

I'd woken up early this morning and left the new girl, Peyton, in bed. I didn't doubt she needed the rest. Pacing around the farm was the only think I could think of to relieve my stress. Did it work? Not at all. Maggie kept following me with her eyes, thinking I'd crack and tell someone. Right about now, she was correct. I walked to the RV and saw Shane eying Peyton. Awkward. I didn't really think anything of it, and instead walked up to them and said, "I need to talk to Dale."

"He should be in there. Might still be sleeping," Peyton said. I nodded and wiped a ball of sweat from my forehead.

Dale had just woken up and was about to come out of the RV. When he saw me, he told me we could walk and talk. So we did.

I said it right away. "There's walkers in the barn and Lori's pregnant,"

Dale widened his eyes. I shook my head, then rested my head in my hands. This would be so difficult.

Peyton's POV

I looked at Glenn and then back at Shane.

"So you were saying?" I asked. I was curious. He seemed hesitant to speak to me. In the end, he just shook his head and walked away. I shrugged and decided it wasn't important.

Walking around the camp, I tried to find somewhere to fit in. My eyes wandered over to Daryl. He was kind of intimidating, but there was something about him...

"Hey." A woman said. I turned. It was Andrea. She caught me off guard, looking at Daryl. I turned to face her and blinked a few times, as if taking in her presence.

"Oh, hey."

"I see you lookin' at him." She accused me of it, but she was right. I felt a little heat on my cheeks and squinted my eyes at the sun.

"It's not like I'm doing it for fun. He has a big ass gash on his head. What's that from?" I asked.

"I shot him." She said.

"Whoa, what happened?"

"A lot." She answered. I decided not to ask for her to go on anymore.

"I think Shane doesn't want me here." I said. She nodded.

"He's like that. Probably doesn't trust you because you're new, but he'll come around." She comforted me, kind of. I clicked my tongue.

"Did you need something?" I asked her.

"Nah." She was different. I thought I liked her, and over time I'd prove this thought correct.

"Are you alright?"

"Shane just went a little too far in the woods during shooting practice, that's all. Said something... rude... about my sister."

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what to say, but I thought about it for a moment and decided to continue. "I think... I think that it's better, maybe, that she's dead now. Being in a world like this isn't conducive for the young. Some people aren't fit for the world they way it is now... I think, and I do believe in God, that it's better that she's in Heaven than on this kind of Earth."

Just then, Glenn yelled out to everyone that he had something to say. We all gathered around to listen.

"The barn's full of walkers." Those six words were enough to make all hell break loose.

There was immediate chaos in within the group. Rick and Lori were already stressed enough, for god knows what reason, and I could tell Shane was, too. Dale nodded at Glenn and I raised my eyebrow at this, but bigger thoughts were running through my head. But I was handling it better than all of the wise asses in this group. Yelling rang through the trees and any sort of calm breakfast was ruined. Of course, the walkers in the barn were a big problem, but for the time being, the problem was contained.

I caught sight of a pistol on a chair and I walked over to grab it. I cocked it and aimed it to the sky, and let a shot ring out. Everyone turned to me.

"What the hell are you doing?" Andrea shouted.

"Are ya fuckin' crazy?" Daryl yelled. His voice shot through me like the bullet of the gun I had shot, and it made my knees a little weak. I forgot about it.

"All of you shut up." I demanded. They glared at me. "The problem is contained for now. Rick, I believe you had something to say?" Everyone seemed surprised for some reason. I think I knew what the reason was. I was new. They didn't think that I could handle myself.

The fact they had to get over was that my uncle lived in the woods I went to see him all the time. When I stayed over for weekends, my older cousins would let me in on everything. Shooting, sports, and even poker night with the boys. They were both almost ten years older than me, but their friends and I were just as close as their friends and them. I wasn't a girly girl who cared about my nail polish chipping, or my make up smudging, or my hair dye fading. I liked to get aggressive, and I stood up for myself. Rick nodded then went on to speak.

"Er.. thank you, Peyton," he started, and turned to the group, "she's right. It's contained for the time being. I'll speak with Herschel, but there's not much we can do. It isn't our property. We are guests here." He said sternly. Shane looked furious. It seemed like he was about to boil out of his skin. Shane, Rick, Andrea, and a few others went to check out the barn, while I stayed behind.

I couldn't see it, but Daryl furrowed his brows and was intently staring at the gun in my hand. I noticed Daryl's face fill with anger and he came toward me and snatched the gun out of my hand. "Don't touch my stuff." He growled and squinted at me, then went to walk away, but I grabbed his arm. He shook me off and kept walking.

Why did I grab his arm? I was wondering this, when I noticed Carol cowering over near a tree. I walked over to her and said hello.

"Hi." She said to me.

"I guess I'm making my rounds today, kind of meeting everyone."

"That makes sense."

I couldn't think of a response... "How-... what do you guys do around here?"

She looked up at me. "Well, Lori and I usually do laundry, Daryl finds food, Rick is like the leader and it seems like Shane tries to be. Dale keeps watch and Andrea sometimes helps. Glenn gets supplies. So that's a good thing, and Lori helps Carl do homework. When my daughter, Sophia-" I saw her start to tear up and she choked a little, "Sophia... she used to be Carl's best friend." A tear slipped out of her eye, and a lump formed in my throat. "But then, my baby girl got lost in the woods when walkers chased her off the road and we haven't found her. Daryl has been so good about finding her and I just-" She started quietly sobbing and sniffling, "I just-" She repeated. "I miss her so much..." Her voice trailed off and I moved in to comfort her.

What had this world come to? People getting lost in a forest, people being eaten to death, people hurting, people crying, having to watch someone go after your little girl? Having someone _dead_go after your little girl? I couldn't help but wrap an arm around her and let her cry onto my bare shoulder. I let her cry until her sobs stopped and all that was left was a few wet straps from a tank top and bra on my shoulder.

I felt like someone was watching us, but didn't look behind to check until Carol wandered off back near the farm house. I turned around and saw Daryl leaning on a tree. He was... something. My cheeks burned and I strolled closer to him.

Daryl's POV

Peyton had taken my gun earlier that day. I couldn't help but be angry at her. What was she, retarded or somethin'? Not only did she take my missing (probably dead) brother's property – she shot a damn gun in the muddle of the farm, drawing any walker within hearing distance straight for us. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I was vigorously fixing up my crossbow and sharpening the arrows near Merle's bike at the edge of the trees. I heard a twig snap, and stood up, swinging my head around to see if anything was there. I heard leaves rustle further to my left and turned toward that direction. Nothing. And then I heard a similar noise even further to my left. Again, nothing. But I could swear I made out some sort of brown figure blending in with the forest. Just then, I saw it. A dear was looking at me, as if it's eyes could see through my soul.

Crossbow loaded, I aimed at the soon-to-be-meal, and fired. It veered to the right, but hit the doe in the side. It made a noise, as if it plead for me to come save it. I had an urge to stitch up the wound immediately, but instead I went and shot another one in it's head.

Dragging it back to the camp was easy. I over heard some mumbling near a tree. Sounded like Carol. And there was someone else who's voice I couldn't get down. Andrea? No... must've been Maggie. She's the younger one. But I looked and saw it was Peyton. I heard my name mentioned and I noticed Carol was crying. Great, what had the new girl done this time?

I couldn't hear it perfectly, but I caught Carol say, "Daryl has been so good about finding..." her voice went quite and I couldn't tell what she was saying, but I heard, "Miss her so much..." at the end, and saw Peyton move in and let Carol weep on her shoulder. It was a nice thing of her to do. I will admit, she had a nice figure. I held back my thoughts. And thought about her age. What was she, like 14? I squinted at the scene and a new thought popped into my head.

Sophia. That must've been what Carol was talking about. I sighed and wondered what more I could do. I had been shot in the head for that girl, and last time I went out I fell down a damn mountain. But I couldn't abandon the search. I needed something to mean something to me.

Mid-thought, Peyton turned around and caught me watching her. I felt myself tense up as she walked toward me. Why was I so freaked out?

"Hey." She said, leaning on the tree about two feet away from me. I grunted in reply and she said, "Carol said you were very intent on finding Sophia. I think it's nice."

I opened my mouth to reply, but she interjected with, "But you're a fucking dick."

I was surprised at her language. "Holy shit, what're ya twelve?" I said.

She seemed to get riled up about this, which was – I couldn't believe I was saying it – cute. "I'm nearly seventeen!" She stomped a foot down.

"Ya sure act like it." I smirked, and looked down at her. She was way shorter than me. Maybe over a foot.

"Daryl!" She yelled at me and and crossed her arms.

I couldn't help, but laugh. "Okay, kiddo, calm down."

"Don't call me kiddo, you asshole trash!"

Okay, she was going a little too far. I moved in close toward her until I was looking down at her, about three inches away. She reached her hands out and pressed her hands firmly up against my stomach. It seemed like she held her breath at this moment. I guess I did too. Maybe I was going crazy, but there was something I liked about this girl. She didn't brush me off like everyone else. "Swearing don't fit a girl like you." I growled and moved away.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks so much for reading! Sorry that I waited two days to post this one - I just couldn't do it yesterday! It's a bit of a shorter chapter (by about a thousand words or so), but I'll hopefully be putting up another chapter very soon. Please review, and again, thank you so much for reading! :) OH! And by the way: I introduces "POV" (Point of View) for this chapter. Should I continue it?<strong>


	3. No more crying

Daryl's POV

I sauntered off to the stables with my bag and my crossbow. I replayed possibilities of the moment Peyton and I had near the woods. Several of these... thoughts... involved my lips meeting hers.

"Shit!" I slapped my forehead with my palm of my hand and shouted. She was almost seventeen. That's not bad, right? Yeah, it was. It was illegal and living with two cops, judgmental Dale, and a million watchful eyes.

In the stables, I remembered my last time I ventured out for Sophia.

I leaned against a door to one of the little stable rooms and spaced out in memory.

_They day I went to look for Sophia, I mounted the horse and rode off into the woods. It was a fairly nice day out. I recollect admiring the colors of the leaves. It wasn't exactly a manly thing to do, but when I was off guard I could do whatever I wanted and no one would judge me. Yeah, I got angry. Yeah, I cussed people out a little too often. But then, I loved nature. That's why I spent so much time venturing off into the deep woods. I got lost for a while when I was little, too. I was out there for a while and no one looked for me, but I sure as hell got back._

The horse I was riding on seemed calm. The snapping of twigs from beneath me was soothing, because it broke the silence of the slumbering wood. I heard a noise and apparently, so did the horse. It jumped a bit and started backing towards a very steep hill. "Whoa, whoa!" I tried to calm it down, but a snake jumped out at us and the horse kicked me off it's back and hauled ass back to the farm. I rolled down the hillside, smacking my head on trees and hitting my side on rocks, and when I landed, I felt a sharp pain shooting through my side.

There, sticking out of my side was an arrow.

I jutted back into reality and tried to shake the memory off. But I found her doll. I knew she was out there. I saddled up a horse, and threw myself onto it's back. I was a man with a mission, and finding that girl was my objective.

At that moment, I saw Carol's silhouette at the entrance to the stables. I squinted at her.

I could tell she didn't want me to go. She tensed up as I heaved myself up onto the horse.

Tears were filling her eyes, and I thought about mitigating her worry, but when she said she'd already lost Sophia and she didn't want to lose me... It pissed me off. She hit something inside me... How could she say "lost?" Did she think Sophia was dead?

I tapped the horse with my feet and it ran by her. I couldn't fucking deal with that right now.

Peyton's POV

I was still shaking from the close encounter with Daryl earlier. He was so... I don't know. I tried to shake him out of my head.

As I scrubbed a few of the shirts that the campers had gotten blood or dirt on (yes, I washed clothing. It was degrading), I tried to forget about it. He was too old, but the way he made me feel was... not only intimidating, but... I liked it.

A horse ran by in a blur, into the forest, and away. I could've sworn I saw Daryl on it. Oh shit, now I was hallucinating about him. Why the hell would he be on a horse anyway? Did they even have horses here? Again, I shook it off.

I was bored around camp the whole day. I was really shaken up from when Rick came into camp dragging a walker by the neck. I mean really, is that safe? No one seemed to bother me about any decisions in the group. I wasn't important enough yet. Pretty much everyone was into drama I didn't want to get into. Rick's wife, Lori, was pregnant, and I knew something was up with Shane. Didn't know what, didn't really care. Andrea and I had talked a lot lately and had become closer, as well as Glenn. I found out he'd slept with Maggie, who I truly didn't care for one bit. She was pushy and rude and we clashed. A lot. She saw things differently than I.

Later that day, we were gathered around, eating. Me and Daryl kept making eye contact and looking away, but at one point I saw him nod toward the big tree where we were before. It was Daryl's little spot. He got up and gestured for me to wait for a little while as he ventured into his little clearing. I tensed up. He wanted me to come after him, but wait so the campers wouldn't know. I shivered with anticipation.

When he went, I took my time finishing my food. It was night time and we'd have space all to ourselves... I imagine us- NO. I didn't imagine us doing anything! I tried to force him out of my head. I'd never really liked a guy except my old buddy Zach before. I ended up thinking about him for a moment. The memories caught me off guard, but my mind welcomed them wholeheartedly.

_A summer breeze blew through my hair. The windows in his ramcharger were down and it was raining. "You should shut the windows. Might get wet in here," I suggested. He nodded, but didn't do anything. I chuckled a little. There was light music playing in the background. He looked over to me, and I looked back at him, un-gluing my eyes from the beautiful raindrops that were watering the Earth outside. I blinked and my heart thumped a bit stronger than usual. When I was with him, the world didn't exist. I never knew what liking someone was like, though I'd had my fair share of boyfriends._

"You're beautiful," he said to me. I didn't say anything. I wanted to close the gab between us. Close the gap between the driver and passenger seats that were keeping us so far apart. But he did that for me. I could here the John Mayer song playing and I could see his face moving closer to mine. He held his hand out and held my cheek. He was being gentle. It was something I hadn't seen in him before. Never had I seen him so vulnerable on our road trips to nowhere or four wheeling or our little hangouts. He leaned in. My lips met his, and I closed my eyes. I didn't really feel anything at all. He backed away and looked at me for a second. "Did you..."

I cut him off. "Feel anything?... Not really..." He nodded and we turned up the radio, drowning out the awkward.

I got up after I finished my meal and strolled over to Daryl's clearing. There were a few trees around it, separating it from the camp. Then, of course, there was the forest. I was a bit worried, but I knew Daryl was there so I wasn't scared, really. Wait, where was he? Shit... where was I?

Guessing I'd ventured a little off-course, I was going to go back out and then re-find my way to his clearing.

It was really bright and normally the forest would be extremely beautiful to me, but right now it was creepy. After everything that'd happened, nothing really was beautiful to me any longer. I hated all of this. I looked around at the trees. All of the branches were like fangs, with the leaves being skin-blankets, flapping around in the breeze. It was almost disturbing. And to add to that... I heard a groan just behind me. I turned around and tried to scream at the dead bastard, but I opened my mouth and air came out.

It lunged toward me and I shoved my arms out, slamming it backwards and when I tried to run, I hit a tree. Blood trickled down my forehead. Shit.

The dead man was on his feet again and ready for a second try at me. I growled and mimicked him. I wouldn't lose this fight. I needed to live. I looked around me frantically, but he came toward me. He stumbled and the fall actually helped him. His arms reached out and grabbed me. I fell and his mouth opened and went down for a bite out of my leg. I wouldn't let myself cry. Before I turned, I would just kill myself. No one would know. No one would notice. I tried to kick, but it had a good hold on me.

It's dead nails dug through my calf and snarled as more blood trickled of me. He went down for my leg. An arrow whizzed through the air into the side of the zombie's head. I let out a whimper and my head throbbed. What just happened?

Daryl. He killed it, I think. Or I was dead. I saw Daryl start toward me, quickly, and when he finally reached me, I tried to stand. My knees were still shaky from the attack and I tripped, letting myself fall into his arms. He furrowed his brow, looked down at me, and brought me to his little clearing. "Jesus, girl, ya tryin'a get yourself killed?"

I shook off the fear I was feeling. "What do you want, Daryl?" I demanded, crossing my arms.

"I just wanted to say, I-" Suddenly, I heard a shout cut him off.

It was Shane, screaming, "Could a living, breathing person walk away from this?" A gun shot. And then a few more.

Me and Daryl looked at each other and ran to see what it was. I saw a dead walker attached to one of the poles they brought walkers in on a lot. "Shit, fuck, shit!" I growled, seeing what happened. "He's jeopardizing our chance of staying here! What the-" Shane ran to the barn and opened it, letting walkers file out. "Oh, holy shit!"

"Enough looking for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us!" Shane screamed.

Daryl loaded the crossbow and shot, and I fought tears that sprang to my eyes. I held Daryl's arm, watching the arrow go through the dead woman's head, as if my holding him would make him stop. Herschel collapsed. Was that his... wife? Shit, that's even worse.

Everyone was shooting, but when it died down, a little girl walked out of the barn. I saw Carol run towards her. So that... was Sophia...

Rick marched up to Sophia and pulled the trigger. I heard a scream and realized it came from my lips. I fell on my knees, and faced the ground. I couldn't understand. Why would Shane be so cruel? How could Rick kill that girl?... He had to. I would've done the same thing.

I crawled towards Carol and held her, letting her sob into me like the day she had the first time. She was a kind, gentle woman. I wanted her to feel better immediately, but I knew nothing I could do would help her.

Over the time I'd been here me and Carol had grown a bit more close. I think it had been only 3 days and no one really trusted me. Thought I might bring trouble because I was in a town alone. Maybe they were suspicious I was scouting for a bigger group, but I'd told them that I was never with any group. They didn't believe me. Only Carol, Andrea, and Dale thought I was telling the whole truth. I went to get supplies every so often and then hit myself in a damned cabin for however long I could. I was doing nothing to help stop the virus, only trying to protect myself. But at the time, I thought that was all I could do.

Carol cried into me and I kept holding her. Daryl looked over at us, uncomfortably, as everyone started taking care of the walkers that might still be alive. I wouldn't let more tears come down my cheek. Carol needed someone to be strong for her.

Shane was already yelling accusations again, saying Herschel knew that Sophia was there and that he kept it from the group, but Herschel said he didn't know. Rick sauntered in and said that he had it under control, and Shane went off again, saying that Rick was delusional or something. I shook my head and stroked Carol's short hair.

I took her hand and coaxed her up off the ground, but she stayed down, so I sat with her, letting a desert-like breeze blow dirt into our hair and ears as she cried on me. A single tear found it's way out of my eye, and proceeded to roll down my cheek, but as quick as that tear had come, it had gone as well. I needed it to go. I couldn't bear having to cry anymore.

* * *

><p><strong>WOW. So in this chapter you get a little glimpse into the past of our main character, Peyton. It was a little sloppy, and I know it's been a long time and I am sooo sorry for that. Almost two weeks since the second chapter, right? I apologize wholeheartedly – I've been on a reading rampage. I read this one book and then a trilogy in the past week and a half so my writing came to a halt. However, I decided that once I finished reading I'd post another chapter and I have a promise for you guys, but you're going to have to decipher this message to find out what it is... You need a phone without a full keyboard (like they have on flip-phones) to find out what the code is... Open a new text message and try to figure out just what all these numbers mean:<strong>

**66339 2224427833777 3388833777999 7777338883366 329997777**


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